Location based reminders

• US 8,380,226 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2011
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Clipsham, Andrew Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fahnert, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US13/076,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20110177830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 455418-420, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/567, 455/402, 3405391-53913, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 701/207, 701/213
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

Location based reminders are described. A mobile computing device may comprise a location based reminder application to set a target location for a reminder item. The location based reminder application may provide a location based reminder for the reminder item when a current location matches the target location. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable storage medium;

a location-based reminder application stored on the computer-readable storage medium to receive user input setting a target location for a reminder item, and provide a location-based reminder for the reminder item when a current location of the mobile computing device is within a predefined distance of the target, the location-based reminder application to accept the reminder item from an application other than the location-based reminder application;

an alarm manager stored on the computer-readable storage medium to receive current location information at a frequency based on the size of the target location; and

an attention manager stored on the computer-readable storage medium to provide the location-based reminder application with an alarm message indicating that the current location of the mobile computing device is within the predefined distance from the target location.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the target location is identified using one or more of GPS coordinates, a street address, a contact name, and a store name.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, the attention manager to provide an attention indicator comprising one or more of a sound notification, a visual notification, or a tactile notification.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein the attention indicator includes a list of reminder items associated with the target location.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the current location is determined using at least one of a location device, triangulation based upon known cell coordinates, and user input within a map application.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the target location may be selected from a list of locations stored on the computer-readable storage medium, wherein each location within the list of locations is stored in response to a user command received when the mobile computing device is located at the location.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a user input to a location-based reminder application setting a target location for a reminder item, the location-based reminder application is to accept the reminder item from an application other than the location-based reminder application;

providing, by the processor, a location-based reminder for the reminder item when a current location of the mobile computing device is within a predefined distance of the target location;

receiving, by the processor, current location information at a frequency based on the size of the target location; and

providing, by the processor, an alarm message from an attention manager to the location-based reminder application, the alarm message indicating that the current location of the mobile computing device is within the predefined distance from the target location.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the target location is identified using one or more of GPS coordinates, a street address, a contact name, and a store name.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, the attention manager to provide an attention indicator comprising one or more of a sound notification, a visual notification, or a tactile notification.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the attention indicator includes a list of reminder items associated with the target location.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the current location is determined using at least one of a location device, triangulation based upon known cell coordinates, and user input within a map application.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the target location may be selected from a list of locations stored on the computer-readable storage medium, wherein each location within the list of locations is stored in response to a user command received when the mobile computing device is located at the location.

13. An article comprising a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable a system to:

receive a user input to a location-based reminder application setting a target location for a reminder item, the location-based reminder application to accept the reminder item from an application other than the location-based reminder application;

provide a location-based reminder for the reminder item when a current location of the mobile computing device is within a predefined distance of the target location;

receive current location information at a frequency based on the size of the target location; and

provide an alarm message from an attention manager to the location-based reminder application, the alarm message indicating that the current location of the mobile computing device is within the predefined distance from the target location.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the target location is identified using one or more of GPS coordinates, a street address, a contact name, and a store name.

15. The article of claim 13, the attention manager to provide an attention indicator comprising one or more of a sound notification, a visual notification, or a tactile notification.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the attention indicator includes a list of reminder items associated with the target location.

17. The article of claim 13, wherein the current location is determined using at least one of a location device, triangulation based upon known cell coordinates, and user input within a map application.

18. The article of claim 13, wherein the target location may be selected from a list of locations stored on the computer-readable storage medium, wherein each location within the list of locations is stored in response to a user command received when the mobile computing device is located at the location.